Candle in the Window
by BreadandBows
Summary: Peeta is her best friend, the person who gets her through each day. Everything changes when he goes into the Arena. Much different than the original story: Prim doesn't get reaped, nor Katniss.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello readers! I hope you enjoy this story and please review, I'd love to read some feedback.**

**Flashbacks in italics.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games, all credit to Suzanne Collins.**

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Chapter One

I wake up earlier than usual today despite the fact that I only slept a few hours. A few hours plagued with nightmares worse than any I've ever had. Prim is still sleeping, snoring softly and holding her mangy cat in her little arms. Buttercup seems to not mind being smothered by her yet every time I am within a foot from him he hisses and puffs up. He must know I'm a hunter and that he can very easily be my next victim if not for Prim. I tuck the covers tighter around Prim's petite frame without managing to wake her or the demon cat up. It's starting to get colder and colder and I know that it's going to be a rough winter for us in this shack of a home. I put some of the coal on the fire even though there isn't much left. I'll have to bring in some good game today so I can afford to buy more or we will all freeze to death in a matter of time. After pulling on some tattered jeans, one of my father's old sweaters, his hunting jacket and my boots, I grab my game bag and set off into the chilly outdoors.

The air is freezing cold and smells of coal and desperation. I long to be in the woods and I find my feet moving faster than normal towards the fence. Once I've slipped it I run to retrieve my bow and arrows from their hiding place and I venture out into the woods. The leaves are coated with ice and crunch under my boots. The sun is barely rising and most people would have a hard time seeing but my trained eyes manage with little strain. I focus my ears on any rustling and sign of an animal and I keep an arrow nocked and at the ready. Suddenly I hear a rustle behind me and I jump and turn around, ready to send an arrow flying into my prey only to find Gale approaching with a smug look on his face.

"A little vicious today are you Catnip? You almost took me out!" he laughs and gently lowers my bow with an outstretched hand. "I didn't think you'd be out here this early, I always beat you to the woods. I guess I better step up my game, huh?" I can tell what he is trying to do and it's not going to work.

"Gale, cut the crap and be quiet. I'm trying to hunt and I don't need you to try to cheer me up today," I snap at him and continue to scan the area for any life other than my obnoxious hunting partner. He doesn't say a word which means I have thoroughly shut him up and for that I'm glad. He knows what I am going through and that I'm tired of everyone trying to make me feel better. Sometimes people just need to be upset and handle things on their own. I have never been one to want pity. There are definitely more people deserving of pity than me.

Out of the corner of my eye I see movement. My arrow goes flying through the heart of a buck. Good, I got him in one shot, a clean kill. I never want to make animals suffer so I have gotten good at aiming at vital organs in order to kill instantly. I may not be an animal lover like Prim, but I would never want to make anyone or anything suffer. Unless my victim is President Snow.

I have always hated the Capitol and everything they stand for and especially the president who continues to force kids to fight to the death for "honor and glory." My hatred has only grown into an intense loathing this past week. I had always feared that my name would be drawn at the reaping and that I would be forced to take part in the Hunger Games and die in front of everyone I love. However, something even worse has happened. My best friend has been taken from me. It was not my name that was drawn, it was Peeta's.

"Whoa, Catnip! Nice shot but how are we going to sneak this monster back into town?" he asks his voice heavy with worry and envy. I'm a much better shot than Gale but what he lacks in accuracy he makes up for in snares and traps. He is right though, it's easy to shove a few rabbits and squirrels into my game bag and sneak them past the Peacekeepers but this buck is definitely not the size of a squirrel. We resolve to dress the animal out here in the woods and sneak it back in pieces. I still can't believe I have venison to trade and sell. My worries about surviving this winter start to dissipate. This deer brings me hope that my family and I will survive. If only it could save Peeta as well.

_"Katniss, I've laid out something for you to wear," my mother says gesturing to one of her old apothecary dresses laid out on mine and Prim's bed. My mother, Prim and I are all especially quiet today, as if not speaking about the Reaping will somehow make it go away. Prim is already dressed and standing next to the fire, chewing at her nails and staring into the flames with tears in her eyes. This is her first reaping. The back of her shirt is hanging out of her skirt and I reach forward and tuck it back in, "Tuck in your tail little duck." She turns and latches onto me in a fierce hug and cries into the blue dress of my mother's. "I'm so scared, Katniss. What if it's me? What if it's y-you?" she sobs and I gently rub her back knowing that nothing I can say is going to make her feel better right now. I could very well be called given the amount of slips are in the bowl with my name on them. She only has one slip but that doesn't mean it's impossible for her to get called. _

Gale and I slip through the fence with our prize deer and head towards town. We sell trade to many people in town because they are the only people who have much of value to trade. My heart clenches as we walk through the town square. This is where it all happened.

_The square is packed with people from the district, all with worried expressions etched on their faces and some in tears. I want so badly to escape into the woods. To leave this nightmare behind once and for all, but I know this isn't an option. Being absent for the Reaping is punishable by death. Gale has offered to run away with me into the woods but I could never do that. I could never leave Peeta behind and I know that Gale and I would get caught eventually. Effie Trinket's voice reigns over the square and her shrill voice is heavy with a Capitol accent that makes my stomach clench. I zone out for most of her dull speech as I scan my eyes over the crowd searching for Peeta and Gale and I offer reassuring glances at Prim as well. Finally it's time to pick the tributes for this year's Games. I hold my breath and hope with all that I have that neither my name nor Prim's gets called. "Camellia Conner," Effie shrieks out into the crowd. Everyone goes quiet. Camellia is only twelve years old and one of Prim's friends. I look over to Prim who is crying and clutching onto other girls who are also friends with Camellia. The little girl walks towards the stage and I wait and hope that someone older will volunteer for her, but of course no one does. She has no brothers or sisters and families will keep to their selves. "Why, hello dear!" Effie exclaims, "Aren't you the prettiest little thing!" her voice cracks and I can see emotion cross her face. Even brainwashed Effie Trinket knows it's wrong to send little girls to their death. After a few more heartbreaking moments Effie returns her hand yet again into a bowl of names. This time it's the boys. _

_"Please not Peeta. Please not Gale," I repeat under my breath. Peeta and I have become closer than Gale and I but Gale's name is in that bowl far more times than Peeta's is. Once again I find myself holding my breath but this time I find no relief in the name that is called. "Peeta Mellark!"_

_I can't breathe and I think my heart stopped working. I cry out and start to run to him only to find myself restrained by the people around me. Peeta's head snaps towards me and he gives me a small weak smile through his tears. He is trying to calm me down even though his name has just been called. The thought breaks my heart even more. Once he is on the stage he takes Camellia's hand and gives her an intent nod of his head. I know that Peeta isn't coming home now. He is going to protect this little girl. My heart crumbles because I see it more clearly than ever, Peeta is absolutely good. He is kind, gentle and caring and someone who would make an excellent father someday. He will never have the chance to get married and have children. He will never get the chance to know how I feel about him.._

Gale and I sell most of our venison in town and what we don't trade in town we trade at the Hob. Gale saves some meat to trade at the Mellark bakery later. I can't see Peeta's family right now. I can't look at his father and brother's pain and his mother's indifference to the entire disaster. I give Gale some of the meat for his family and I take some for mine. We both go home with enough coal to last for a while and supplies to help us get through the winter.

By the time I return home Prim and my mother are awake. They are delighted to see that I've returned with enough supplies and food to ensure our survival. Prim hugs me and helps me prepare a meal of venison, bread and some goat cheese. Time goes by slowly and I keep my eyes glued to the television showing the Games. As much as I want to smash the screen to bits, I know that this is the only connection to Peeta that I have, even if it's one sided.

Peeta and Camellia are allies and are foraging for food in the forest. They have found water and have been sleeping in the trees but they are both slowly dying of hunger. They have to find food soon or they will be too weak to move. Peeta warns Camellia to stay close to him but she gets distracted and starts to venture off a little farther than he is comfortable with. Just as he starts to run towards her and lecture her that she should stay by his side an arrow comes out of nowhere and plunges into the little girl's heart. Peeta stops and a mixture of shock, anger and heartbreak crosses his face. Suddenly he breaks into a run ignoring the fact that someone is hidden and has a bow and arrow but the culprit comes out of the bushes and smirks at Peeta with a menacing glint of rage in his eyes. Peeta slams into the career who had only had two arrows, one that had missed Peeta by an inch and the other in the innocent little girl lying on the ground. With little effort Peeta lifts the career off of the ground and slams him into a tree repeatedly, bashing him over and over with blind rage. Finally the career goes limp and Peeta drops him to the ground. A canon sounds and Peeta looks over to Camellia to find that she is still alive. Peeta just killed someone, a career with a thirst for blood, but a person no less. Peeta drops to his knees beside Camellia and puts his hand to her face. Without a word he just strokes her face and hair and hums to her softly. My heart stops beating altogether. Peeta is humming the valley song.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again readers! I would like to thank those of you who reviewed, I love to get feedback on my writing! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter and will enjoy this one as well (:**

**Flashbacks and dreams are in italics.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the hunger games all credit to Suzanne Collins.**

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Chapter Two

It's been two days since Camellia died in Peeta's arms. After she died he proceeded to remove the arrow lodged in her tiny frame and cover her in wild flowers. He even made her a flower crown like I used to make for Prim after a long day in the woods with my dad. She looked like a peaceful blonde angel lying there on the forest floor. The entire scene made me bawl like a baby and I wanted nothing more than to reach out to Peeta and take away his pain. Since that day, four other tributes have fallen and there are only five tributes left including Peeta. One is a boy named Thresh who is huge and muscular and an obvious threat, but he has stayed hidden throughout the entire games. His district partner Rue is a tiny little thing and is the same age as Camellia and Prim. It's surprising that she's made it this far so she must know a thing or two about survival. I just hope that her death is quick and that she doesn't have to stand against Peeta as the last two remaining tributes. I know that if that happens he will save her and sacrifice himself. Peeta would never kill a little girl. Cato and Clove, the two remaining career tributes have made jokes about how much of a sap Peeta is and that people like him make the world weak. When they speak like this it makes me so angry that I can't watch anymore. He isn't a sap, he is just so good that no one understands.

Peeta is cooking a rabbit that he caught in one of his many snares. The scene makes me smile because I'm the one who taught him how to make those snares.

_"I don't know, Katniss. I've never been in the woods before, I'm not like you and Gale. I bake bread. Safe, legal bread," Peeta says, smirking at me as we walk towards the fence. "Oh, come on Peet don't be such a baby. And it's only illegal if you get caught," I tease back at him. He just smiles at me and rolls his eyes,"Um, Kat that doesn't even make sense but alright, anything for you." We reach the fence and I slip under with ease but Peeta has a little trouble. When we are finally inside I pull out my bow and arrows and some rope that I have hidden along with them. His eyes grow wide and he hesitantly stretches out his hand to take my bow. He runs his thumb along the smooth wood in awe. "My father made it for me when I was young," I tell him, trying to hide the sadness in my voice. My bow is so precious to me and one of the only things I have left from my dad. "He was a very skilled man, Kat. This is so beautiful, it's a piece of art like none of I've ever seen," he says, his voice dripping with admiration. I knew Peeta would love my bow. He takes joy in the simple pleasures of art and he is amazing at what he does. I take the rope and start to make a snare. I'm just making a simple one called a poacher's knot. He picks up another piece of rope and copies my movements. We spend a couple of hours tying different snares, all of which I learned from Gale, and by the time we're done Peeta is almost an expert. _

As he sits there by his little fire cooking the rabbit, the camera pans to rustling in the bushes behind him. I tense up and squeeze Prim's hand, about to scream for Peeta to run even though he can't hear me, but out steps Rue. My heart drops. Each step she takes towards Peeta is slow and cautious, as though she is approaching a wild animal. "Hello, Rue. I'm not going to hurt you, it's okay," Peeta says softly, his voice barely above a whisper. She smiles at this and visibly relaxes, "I didn't think you would but you can never be too careful." She sits down beside him and gazes longingly at the rabbit. Peeta offers her some and she accepts after a bit of hesitation. "Thank you, I haven't eaten any meat since I've been in the arena," she says with a mouth full of rabbit. Peeta laughs at this and asks her what she _has _been eating. After they eat she shows him different kinds of edible plants and it becomes clear that an alliance has formed. He isn't going to let Rue die. He has found someone new to protect.

Suddenly my eyes dart to the door as Gale walks into my house. "Catnip we need to talk," he says, leaving no room for argument. I pull on my boots and jacket and follow him outside. I already know where we are going so I don't bother to ask. Gale has fire in his eyes and I know he wants to talk about things that could get us killed. I follow him into the woods without question. "There's unrest in the districts, Katniss," he says without wasting any time. "W-what? What do you mean Gale?" I ask my voice shaking. "It's your little boyfriend, Catnip. His kindness is showing people how horrible the games really are, and watching a twelve year old die doesn't sit well with people," he explains. I understand exactly what he means, the day that Camellia was reaped there were hushed whispers of anger from even the quiet, timid people of twelve. I can't imagine what people in the other districts have done. Gale answers my unspoken question, "There have been uprisings in eleven and there are rumors about a full blown rebellion. It's finally happening, Catnip." My curiosity gets the best of me, "What do you mean, Gale? And how do you even know this information? You should really just mind your own business, you are going to get us killed!" The fact that I'm not excited about an oncoming war causes anger to build up in Gale, "I overheard some Peacekeepers talking, and you know Katniss, there are more important things than your boyfriend being in the games! Get over it already!" he lowers his voice, "Look, people are finally starting to stand up for what's right. Don't you care at all?" I'm furious. Gale has never liked Peeta and his words cut me like a knife. "Shut up Gale! First of all, he isn't my boyfriend so stop saying that! And yes, I do care about people standing up against the Capitol but that doesn't mean I'm not going to feel a little scared. We don't know what's going to happen and you aren't some war hero so just calm down!" I know I overstepped the boundary but I don't care. I stomp away from him and run back home.

I reach my door just in time to hear a canon sound on the television in our living room. I burst through the door with panic and on the screen I see Thresh standing over Clove's dead body, Rue and Peeta are standing a little ways away from them with fear on their faces. There are tears in Thresh's eyes and he takes one last look at the girl and runs away as fast as he can. What just happened? My sister fills me in that Rue was looking for plants and Peeta was in the lake trying to spear a fish. Clove had snuck up on Rue and had her trapped with a knife at her throat. She called over to Peeta so he could watch his ally die in front of his eyes but she didn't get the chance to finish her threats. Thresh had grabbed Clove and freed Rue. He took Clove's knife and ended her life swiftly. Rue had run into Peeta's arms and they stared at Thresh for a long time before he ran away.

I realize that Thresh is on their side, or at least Rue's. The only threat left is Cato and no one knows where he is. It's getting late and the broadcasting is ended for the day. Prim and I get ready for bed but neither one of us can sleep. I don't know how anyone can sleep after watching the Games, but after hours of lying in bed, my body finally gives in to exhaustion.

_Bombs fall from the sky. I need to find Prim. Where is Prim? I run to the Hawthorne's house and find her and Rory clutching each other for dear life. "Prim, we have to get out of here!" I shout at her, tears streaming down my face. "There's nowhere to go, Katniss! I'm so scared!" she is shaking with fear and I run to her and hold her in my arms. Rory runs to get his brothers and sister who are crying in the other room. "It's going to be alright, Prim. I won't let anything happen to you, it's going to b—," I don't finish my sentence because a bomb drops on the house._

I wake up covered in cold sweat and I reach over to Prim and pull her into my arms. If what Gale said is true, my dream could come true very easily. I cry into my sister's hair, I just want my dad. He would know what to do. He would fix everything, just like always. I cry myself to sleep and this time, I thankfully have no dreams.

The next day I skip hunting. The deer I brought in has given us enough meat and supplies to last for a while and I just want to be close to my family today. I fix Prim, my mother and I a breakfast of eggs and bread and we all huddle around the television. Nothing exciting or tragic happened during the night in the arena. Peeta and Rue and up in a tree huddled together in a sleeping bag. Rue is still asleep but Peeta is a baker, he wakes up early no matter what. The camera pans over to Thresh who is awake and eating some berries and squirrel meat. It then pans over to Cato who is also awake and walking through the trees with a crazed look in his eye. Clove's death has driven him insane and he is more dangerous now than ever. He isn't far from Peeta and Rue and he is looking to kill. Suddenly everything starts happening really fast. Peeta's ears perk up at the sound of crunching leaves. He wakes Rue up and tells her to be quiet and that someone is coming. If they are quiet enough maybe the person will pass by without noticing them. Unfortunately things never go as planned in the arena. Cato looks up into the trees and a crazed smile spreads on his lips, "Oh look what we have here. Two little rats up in a tree!" Rue starts to shake and Peeta grabs her face in his hands, "It's going to be alright, Rue. Stay here, I'm going to take care of this, okay?" She shakes her head no and clutches to him. Cato laughs maniacally, "Aw well isn't that cute! Why don't you come down here and be a man, Mellark! You damn sap!" Peeta jumps from one branch to the other and stands before Cato, his spear in his hand. Cato laughs and runs towards Peeta slashing at him with his knife. Peeta dodges and strikes at Cato with the spear, effectively hitting one of his arms. This only seems to make Cato more mad and he tackles Peeta to the ground, causing Peeta to drop his spear. Peeta lunges out of Cato's grasp but not before the knife gets lodged deep into Peeta's leg. Peeta lets out a blood curling scream and my body shakes violently. I can't breathe. My best friend is going to die. Rue is out of the tree and runs away screaming to Thresh at the top of her lungs.

Cato and Peeta continue to wrestle around on the ground. Peeta has knocked the knife out of Cato's hands so now they are on an even playing field. They punch each other and try to pin each other down. The fight seems to last hours but then Thresh is there. Rue must have found him and now he is there to help. He pulls Cato off of Peeta and starts to punch him repeatedly. Cato still has fight left in him and even though Thresh is bigger than he is, he manages to break free. He runs to his knife and reaches down to grab it but as he leans down Peeta's jabs the spear straight through Cato's back and through to his heart. Cato collapses on the ground, sputtering blood and cursing.

It is obvious that Cato is dying and Peeta, Rue, and Thresh all run out of the woods and into the open. They want to be as far away from Cato as possible. A canon sounds and they look at each other with confusion. What is going to happen now? They are all allies so who is going to be the victor? Thresh is the first to speak, "I won't hurt either of you. I refuse to hurt any more people," he looks at Peeta, "Rue is like a sister to me and you have protected her when I couldn't. I just want to thank you for everything." Peeta offers him a reassuring smile, "No, thank you, Thresh; for saving me, for saving Rue and for being here with us." They all continue to look at each other for a while longer. Peeta speaks again, "I don't want to be a piece in these games any longer," he looks towards the sky, "This isn't right and it's time it stops once and for all."

The three last tributes look at each other and they all know what they need to do. They take hands, Rue in the middle of the two boys and they stand their ground. They won't be killing each other and if they Capitol wants death they will have kill them themselves. Suddenly the television flashes with static and the force field around the arena starts to emit sparks of electricity. Then the sounds of a hovercraft are heard and the screen goes black.


End file.
